Aug. 25, 2018

David James led the last WBA field trip of the season to upper Crab Creek- Rocky Ford, a site we had first visited in early June. It was a bit cool, and the sky was hazy with smoke! But we were a hardy lot and set out across the dry scablands in the hope of seeing the second generation of the Silver-bordered Fritillary and possibly the Coronis Fritillary. We did find the Silver-bordered Fritillary and twelve other species including: Becker’s White, Orange Sulphur, Melissa’s Blue, Acmon Blue, Purplish Copper, Northern Crescent, and Western Branded Skipper. The site where the SBF was flying was surprisingly green with a variety of flowers still in bloom. There were also many Common Ringlets throughout the area. They were lighter colored than those in the spring, blending in well with the grasses. It started clouding over in the early afternoon, so we ended the day with conversation and lunch in the parking lot, quite satisfied with what we had seen in the field.

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